leafless lawyer

R. squarrosus is an evergreen shrub forming a mound of tangled stems up to around 50cm tall in cultivation. The green stems bear small, scattered yellowish-white prickles and sparse 'skeletonised' leaves with the leaf blade being reduced to virtually nothing giving a thread-like appearance. In summer, small, yellowish flowers may be borne in panicles up to 15cm long; orange-red fruits are rarely seen in this country